Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci, and Group Tasks

I…don’t do that well at group tasks. I mean…I work quicker by myself. Not to mean I have to be solitary the whole time, I just prefer doing my work by myself. This time I wasn’t allowed to, so I went in a group with two other girls from my class, who also both happen to love writing. Our task was to write a scene from a play that talked about the Renaissance impact on families, it’s importance, etc. Well, there were more options, but this one looked the most fun by far. I cannot take all the credit for this scene. It is a three-way co-write, but since I’m the only one who has an up-and-going blog, I’ll take the liberty of posting it.Minimal research, comedy, and…wandering off topic. It was great fun.

Leonardo: Sofia! Come here! My imbecilic apprentice has spilled paint all over the floor. Again.Rufus (looks abashed): I didn’t mean to.(Sofia marches into the room, brandishing a mop.)Sofia: What happened here? Is Rufus being clumsy again? Leonardo (rolls eyes): We were going to make an astronomical breakthrough on my latest invention. But this idiot insists on destroying everything I work for!Rufus: I didn’t mean to. Leonardo: Keep quiet while the adults speak. Sofia (sighs): Maestro, forgive me, but I’ll get to work once you finish quarrelling.Leonardo: Whatever, whatever, just clean up the mess. What a bane his father has sent me! A waste of food, clothing and lodging. A monkey could paint better than that boy.Rufus: I didn’t mean to.Sofia (sighs again): Where’s the mess?Leonardo: All over my miraculous flying machine. You do realise I have been working on this for the past… five… six…ten years! And he has destroyed it with his clumsy, fat fingers within ten minutes of looking at it!Rufus (starts to cry): I didn’t mean to!Leonardo: Stop your crying.Sofia: Maestro, why did you ever accept him?Leonardo: His father just happened to be Il Magnifico–Lorenzo Medici– and promised me commissions until my hair fell out with old age. In return, I have to deal with this great howling buffoon. Rufus: I didn’t–

Leonardo: Shut up. The model Renaissance man, and this is what he sends me. A… a…Sofia: Please calm yourself, Maestro. Shall I make you a drink before I clean up the mess?Leonardo: No, just clean up the mess. Why a thing like that ever wanted to be a painter…Rufus: I didn’t mean to!Leonardo: Say that one more time and I’ll cut off your hand and throw it in the Tagliamento River.Sofia: Maestro, please. The mess would be worse than the flying machine incident. Leonardo (nods): An excellent point, Sofia. That’s why I hired you.Sofia: Thank you, Maestro. Rufus, step away from the machine.Leonardo (raises fist): Don’t you say it, Rufus.(Rufus snuffles miserably.)Sofia: He didn’t mean to.(Leonardo hits the wall with his fist.)Sofia: If you break that wall, I’ll have to clean it up, too.Leonardo: I’ll throw you in the Tagliamento, too, if you don’t clean up that mess. Ruined! He soaked the wings with paint! The supple, perfect cloth destroyed. Destroyed, Sofia!Rufus: I didn’t–Leonardo and Sofia: Shut up!Leonardo: And all because his father is the model Renaissance man. What a waste. A waste of years… years…Sofia: Maestro, forgive me, but I think you’re overreacting.Leonardo: One can never overreact to such imbecilicness!Rufus: I didn’t mean to!

Ahehehe, aww, poor Rufus. Just one thing: "imbecilicness" isn't a word. You'd be better off with "incompetence" or "idiocy" or something of that ilk.Other than that *snickers* rather entertaining, I must say!

Good point. We were going to make Sofia say something about imbecilicnes not being a word, but the bell rang, so I was trying to end it, save it, print it, and log off the computer withing as short a timeframe as possible. But yeah, Incompetence would have been the perfect word. 🙂

Yes, Rufus was "my character". We started off with me having what Rufus got to say, but making him… less than intelligent worked too well, and that was the extent of my line… (I actually wrote most of Sofia's because she was being good and researching the flying machine.)